Meg's Pad Problems
 

I have the Megs DA polisher and the 7" pad assortment. Yesterday, I tried to do some paint correction with 105 and the purple pad. That turned out to be a disaster as the polish just clumped up on the paint. By using that pad the spinning part of the polisher got so heated it destroyed the velcro attachment pad.

I switched to the yellow pad and got better results but the pad life was nil, I went through 2 just on the hood, roof and bed cover. The polisher pad area got heated here too, just not quite as bad as with the purple pad.

This was only the second time using the polisher, first time was with speed glaze #80 and everything worked great.

Does the 105 create that much more resistance causing the polisher to get hot? The heat also wrecked the yellow pads Velcro and degraded the pad so it was slinging out little yellow foam balls.

Should I switch to a smaller or different brand of pad? Should I polish at a slower speed?

Even the 105 did not remove the water spot etchings in the clear coat though it did diminish them somewhat.

Rick

I have meg's pads I have been using for years without any issues. Occasionally one will get overworked, but they usually hold up pretty well.

105 and the purple pad is a pretty cut heavy combination.


Is the paint you are trying to correct heavily oxidized? If so, you might need to use a paint cleaner first to remove the oxidation. 105 doesn't play nice on a heavily oxidized surface.

Other questions:

Did you prime the pad properly?
What speed were you using?
Were you using enough product?
Were you over working the product?
Is the 105 you have the DA compatible version, or the older, rotary only version?

No, the paint is fine, just some waterspot etchings in the clearcoat is what I'm trying to remove.

The purple pad was useless, the yellow pad did the job but wore out prematurely. These are 7" pads with a 5" backing plate on the new Meg's DA polisher. The 5" pad seems to get hotter than I'd expect and I think that contributes to the pad erosion.

I started at full speed but dialed it back to 4. I used plenty of product, not sure about priming the pad, I just squirted it on, spread it over the area and polished away.

I want to note that the first time I did the truck I used yellow pad and #80. It worked great but didn't cut through the etching, which is why I'm trying the 105/205.

Are you saying the 105/205 is for rotary machines only?

Do you polish one area until the product disappears or keep piling it on as you go over the same area over and over?

What's the best pad for applying liquid NXT?

Rick

When 105 and 205 came out they were for rotary only. The newer versions are for rotary or DA.

Maroon pad on a DA with 105 is a combo I probably wouldn't use. I'd try the 105 on the yellow and see what that does.

use the Tan or black meg's pad for NXT.

Mist the pad with some QD before applying product.

Thanks for the info.

Rick

How do you clean the pads after use & store them ?

When the Velcro backing fails on any pad, it can be from incorrectly cleaning them or not letting them dry completely before sealing them up in a bag.

- Heavy solvent cleaning can eat at the glue on the foam to Velcro joint, or if they are damp when sealed in a bag with tap water, I have seen some develop mold on them that eats at the foam ( so the foam is what is giving up, the glue joint is still in tact ).

After I clean mine, I have the mating Velcro strips on the bottom of shelves in the garage to hang them foam down to dry over the next few days before I put them in a large tote tub for storage.

The how to clean, I know 1st hand don't go at them on too high of a speed on a rotary in a grit guard pad washer.
This will weaken the glue joint real quick. I got taught this lesson one detailing session with my 1st set of Optimum MF pads, the 1st pad that session I got away with it the 1st cleaning ( gave up the 2nd cleaning ), the next MF pad from that session I peeled the MF pad right off the Velcro base while it was on the rotary on the pad cleaner. The MF pads I clean by hand on a wash board, I still clean the foam pads in the Grit guard, but I keep the setting on the rotary at speed setting 1 ( 600 RPM on the Makita ).

1st
IMHO a 7" pad is way too big for a DA polisher. I would highly suggest getting a 5" backing plate and 5" DA flat pads (I like Lake Country 5.5" flat).
Do you use the Kevin Brown Method?

2nd
I've never been a big fan of M105. It does cut but it dries (flashes) way too quick and you do not want to polish with a dry pad/compound combo.
M105 revitalizes with a mist of water but then it turns into splatter everywhere. Try a couple of drops of M105 and Megs Ultimate Compound on the pad.

3rd
IMHO Compound and polish are different. When I do (compound) paint correction with an aggressive compound.
I prefer higher speeds on a DA and slow the rotation down with pressure on the machine head.

My new favorite Megs compound is M101 for a DA and the Megs 5" microfiber cutting discs.
You could try Megs Ultimate Compound available at Wal-Mart or your local auto parts store.

Change your pad size first.
I'd pick up 5" backing plate and a "six-pack" of 5.5" LC flat pads
2) Orange/compound 2) White/polish 1) Black and 1) Blue to finish

Dang, I forgot about the KB method. I did it the time before with the 80 and it worked great, just didn't cut the acid etchings out.

I do have the 5" backing plate but I think the Velcro is getting dated. Do the sell a replacement velco pad?

And yes, the 105 did dry quickly, that was probably the whole problem from the get go and why there was so much resistance, which is probably why the pad wore out prematurely. Of course using it on a black truck during a Florida summer didn't help the problem, even under the shade tree.

I will order some smaller pads, they're cheaper anyway.

Thanks for the advice, and I'll remember the KB method next time.

Rick

The last guy that did my truck used a Lake Country PFW pad on a Flex with M105 for the bad spots.

IMHO the KBM works best with a DA polisher Megs/Griots/PC & a 5" backing plate. For correction I use 5.5" LC flat orange pads.
Mark a line on the BP with a sharpie. When doing correction use speed 5-6 (lower with GG), press on the head of the machine.

Attachment 12960

Pressing down will slow the BP rotations down to 1-2 per second. NOTE: IMHO a 7" pad is WAY to big to work effectivly on a DA.

TMK they only sell replacement BP's. The Megs 5" DA BP is designed to run cooler. Always keep the pad and paint surface moist.

Again IMHO, M105 has a very short working time. Prime the pad with M105 then alternate 4 pea/dime sized drops of compound.
I alternate two drops of M105 & two drops of Megs Ultimate Compound. M105 supplies cut while Megs UC adds lube & work time.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...imingPad02.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...imingPad03.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...imingPad04.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...imingPad12.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/galler...imingPad13.jpg

I've recently become a big fan of the two new compound/polish product releases from Megs. M101 for DA & M100 with Rupes using a mf disc.
I have a couple of different machines a PC7242xp, Flex rotary and Rupes 21 Bigfoot. I prefer using 5" pads on all when doing paint correction.

Thanks a million for the tips, I just ordered a six pack of LC pads to try. If I need another BP I'll order one of those also. I'm pretty sure the 105 drying out is what caused all the problems but with the advice I'll remedy that problem.

Rick

I have noticed the 7" Meg's pads do not seem to last as long as they used to. Meg's does recommend not using speed 6, with their pad/G110v2 DA. It will pre-maturely heat up the pad.

UC and a Meg's yellow pad on speed 5 should do the trick. Also, place a black vertical line on the pad. It will help you identify when the pad is rotating or slipping.

IMHO a 7" pad is way TOO big for a DA polisher.

I have had consistently great results using the Kevin Brown Method with:

A 5" backing plate and Lake Country 5.5" flat pads.
A 5" BP (or smaller) is all I ever use with my DA.

I'd suggest 2) Orange 2) White 1) Black 1) Blue to start.

Do you use the Kevin Brown Method with your DA?

Here are a couple of links to using Megs DA speeds.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ight=DA+speeds

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ighlight=speed

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ight=DA+speeds

I like doing paint correction with D300 using the 5.5" Megs MF
cutting disc and/or M101 with the 5.5" LC orange flat pads.